PLANS for a new waste transfer station capable of handling 5,000 tonnes of debris a year near Upton have been approved.

The facility, which will be based just off the A38 Tewkesbury Road at Ryall was backed by the county council’s planning committee.

The development had been objected to by both Earls Croome and Ripple parish councils on grounds of congestion, noise and smell.

The station will collect commercial and construction waste.

It was also recommended for refusal by planning officers because the site itself is not allocated as employment land in the Local Plan, but that argument was rejected by the committee.

The Local Plan acts as a guide as to where the most ideal plots of unused land are for new development in the county.

Despite it not being included, the site where the station will be situated is largely industrial.

After an independent report backed the scheme, councillors have agreed that Dynamic Construction can now get on with building it.

Councillor Alan Amos, who sits on the committee, said: “However the site is defined in terms of the Local Plan, it’s an industrial site ideal for that sort of use.

“In terms of the location it will not have any adverse residential or environmental impacts, and at the end of the day if we had turned it down we’d have lost an appeal.

“The officers accepted and understood our opinion on it.”

Despite the two council objections, the authority had received letters from both residents and businesses close to the site saying they were not against the plan.

Councillor Alwyn Davies, chairman of the planning committee, said: “The original recommendation to refuse was due to planning policy, but on balance the members decided to go ahead with it after having the independent report.”

The waste transfer station will create five full-time jobs and handle about 100 tonnes of waste a week. It will be used by the applicant’s sister company Cleanaway.